Christmas Special
by sandufus
Summary: Lighthearted Christmas fluff set in modern times to be updated everyday until the 25th. Part 1: JungSeol Part 2: SoSeol Part 3: Wang Family Dinner Part 4: SoSooSeol Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!
1. Chapter 1

**I Conveniently Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Reading to Bring You This Very Important Public Service Christmas Fluff**

* * *

"Seol-ah, be careful," Hajin cautions, glancing up from the Christmas balls she'd been unwrapping to watch her 4-year-old turn a coil of Christmas lights around the tall tree. She's so small that she's only managed to light up the lower third. Hajin suppresses a laugh.

"This?" Seol asks, holding the excess lights up.

Hajin walks over to inspect her work. "Baby, this should be down here because we'll be plugging it into the socket," she explains patiently, holding up the plug. "Do it again."

With a dramatic sigh, Seol begins to stomp around, back the way she came, until the lights are completely off. This is her first time decorating the Christmas tree, and she's more than a little excited.

"Okay, up we go," Hajin mutters, lifting her little girl up. "Oh, you're heavy. What did Aunty Deok feed you?"

"Beef, beef, beef!" Seol chants happily, waving the lights in the air.

Hajin sighs. "Of course. The usual."

Deok and Eun had volunteered to fetch the little one from day care this morning and had brought her to the restaurant for lunch to appease Grandma Park before bringing her home.

"Did you eat any sweets?" Hajin asks sternly. "You still have a runny nose."

Seol shakes her head a little too frantically to be considered honest, but Hajin decides to let it go. After all, it's not every day those two get to see her. For the nth time, she considers giving them a pair of baby socks to encourage them to get a move on.

The doorbell suddenly rings and Hajin puts Seol down, cautioning her once again to be careful before going to the front door to greet whoever was there.

"Noona!" Jung beams happily, dropping his bags.

"Jung-ah!" Hajin exclaims in shock, rushing out to hug him. "Yah, you look so dashing in your uniform!"

He grins. "Thanks. I was worried you might not be home. I'm on my way to mother's and just had to drop something off. Is Seol awake?"

Hajin nods and ushers him in.

Shutting the door behind him, Jung calls out, "Seolie!"

Seol's ears perk up at once. She knows that voice. Dropping the lights in her hand, she rushes to the door to find her uncle Jung with her mother. He sees her immediately and beams.

"There she is!" he says happily, extending his arms to catch her. "Wah, you're so big now!" he remarks, lifting her up and giving her a big hug. "What have you been eating?"

"Beef," Hajin replies with a wry smile, going to the kitchen to get Jung a glass of water.

"Meat is very good for you," he nods approvingly, turning back to Seol with an impish smile. "I have something for you."

Her eyes light up immediately. "A present? For me?"

"You bet!" He sets her back down and rummages through his bag for the present he had bought her. She watches him carefully, her face lightning up further when he extracts a big box wrapped in colorful Santa wrappings.

"Here you go!" he says fondly handing it over. "Merry Christmas, Seolie!"

"Can I open it?" she asks excitedly, clutching the gift to her chest. She turns to her mother as soon as she reenters, carrying a glass of water for her uncle. "Umma, can I open the gift?"

Hajin had wanted for Seol to open all her gifts on Christmas morning, but seeing her excited face, she can't find it in her to refuse such a request, especially since she wasn't sure if Jung could stay until Christmas in the midst of his military duties.

"Okay, but just that one," she concedes, giving Jung the glass.

Excited, Seol gets down on the floor before Jung and begins to carefully scratch at the tape to peel it off.

Jung scoffs, choking on his water. "Yah, you're just like your father. Why don't you just tear it up? Be more like Uncle Jung!"

Seol shakes her head stubbornly and manages to rip one piece of tape off. She beams proudly and proceeds to unwrap the rest of the gift until she sees the biggest doll she's ever seen in her life. She squeals with excitement.

"Do you like it?" Jung asks anxiously before looking up at Hajin. "I'm told this is the best seller for little girls. I originally got the biggest one but on my way here, I thought she might be scared of it because it was about her size, so I replaced it with a smaller one."

Hajin chuckles and addresses Seol. "Seol, you should say thank you to uncle Jung."

With bright eyes, she gets up and jumps into his arms, startling him. "Thank you, uncle Jung!"

He looks relieved as he pats her back. "You're welcome, Seolie. Do you like it?"

She nods. "She'll sleep on my bed tonight!"

"Ah, that's good," Jung chuckles, getting up. "But I have to go. I promised to visit grandma."

She turns to her mother at once. "I go?"

"No, you haven't showered yet! And what happened to helping me with the tree?" Hajin reminds with raised eyebrows.

Seol deflates, looking torn as she fiddles with her new doll.

"Don't be sad, Seolie, I'll be back tomorrow, okay?" Jung assures, patting her head. "I'll bring all your uncles and aunts and cousins with me, too!"

"And your girlfriend?" Hajin prods impishly. "Jung-ah, you've been dating for 2 years. When do we get to meet her? We've all been so curious."

"We'll see," he grins mysteriously. "She's very anxious about meeting you all so I don't want to overwhelm her."

"Do it little by little," Hajin suggests with hopeful lilt. "You can start with us."

Jung chuckles. "Nice try, noona, but my older brothers are the most intimidating of the group. I'll save them for last, I think."

She sighs dejectedly. It's true. Yo and So have eyes that seem to see right to your very soul. It doesn't help that they're always so serious around people and impeccably dressed to perfection.

"Don't worry, maybe I'll bring her around for lunch sometime, when hyung's not here," he winks, hitching his bag onto his shoulder and bending down to lift Seol back up so he can kiss her. "I've missed you most!"

"Tomorrow?" she asks hopefully.

He nods firmly. "Tomorrow. I promise."

* * *

 _Preview of the next chapter:_

 _"Seol-ah!" Hajin exclaims in disbelief, making her little girl jump in surprise. "Did you draw on the table again?"_

 _Seol stares at her mother in shock, a feeling of dread slowly creeping in. She thought she'd covered it earlier with a piece of tape... she knew she should have put two more just to be sure._


	2. Chapter 2

"Seol-ah!" Hajin exclaims in disbelief, making her little girl jump in surprise. "Did you draw on the table again?"

Seol stares at her mother in shock, a feeling of dread slowly creeping in. She thought she'd covered it earlier with a piece of tape... she knew she should have put two more just to be sure.

"Yah, how many times do I have to tell you? If you want to write, ask me for paper," Hajin reminds in an exasperated tone, trying to wipe the marks off.

"I had paper!" she protests.

"Then why would you write on the table?" her mother demands.

"Accident..."

Hajin sighs. "Wait 'til your father comes home. We just had this repainted! Ah, it won't come off... and everyone will be coming over tomorrow, too..."

Seol's looking teary-eyed with worry. She's fidgeting with her dress, wondering how she can get out of being scolded, when the door opens and her father walks in.

"Hello, my beautiful girls!" So greets, shaking the snow off his dark hair. He shrugs off his coat and hangs it by the door, and Seol sees her chance. She gets up and runs to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his leg. "Appa, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?" he asks in surprise, noticing the desperation on her small face.

Seol glances fearfully at her mother and takes cover behind her father's legs.

"Little girl, that won't work," Hajin says sternly, coming over and bending down to peer at her.

"What's wrong?" So asks curiously, laying a hand on his daughter's head.

"She drew on the table again," Hajin sighs, gesturing dejectedly at the dining table.

"Seol-ah... why did you draw on the table again?"

"Accident," she replies, tugging at his shirt and gazing imploringly up at him. "Accident, appa..."

"How can it be an accident?" Hajin asks.

"I was writing," Seol explains carefully, "and my hand..." she couldn't remember the exact word for it, so she acted out exactly what had happened.

"Your hand slipped?" So guessed.

Seol nods fervently. She knew he would understand.

"You didn't do it on purpose?"

She shakes her head, frowning indignantly up at him, before noticing her mother's doubtful expression. She assumes her most sorrowful look and presses her face against his leg in supplication, "Sorry, appa, I won't do it again."

"It's okay," So says, rubbing her back. He sees the scathing look on Hajin's face and mouths, "What?"

"You're spoiling her!" she mouths back.

He rolls his eyes and pulls her in for a kiss. "She's 4," he murmurs.

"She'll think she can get away with anything as long as she acts cute," Hajin mumbles under her breath, pointing to the little creature still clinging onto him for dear life. "This is called enabling."

"No," he says, "this is called 4-year-olds-don't-have-complete-control-over-their-fine-motor-skills-and-so-parents-must-endeavor-to-be-more-understanding." He turns to Seol and pats her head. "Seol-ah, apologize to your mother, too."

Seol looks up and glances unsurely at her mother. "I'm sorry, umma."

"You'll be more careful next time, won't you?" he prods.

She nods vigorously.

"Tell her."

She looks at her mother again and says as properly as she can, "I won't do it again."

Hajin sees she can't win. "Promise?"

"Promise!" Seol pipes up at once, feeling relieved.

"Oh, alright," Hajin grumbles, turning away.

Once she's safely back in the kitchen, So holds open his palms for Seol, who eagerly raises her arms to him, ready to be lifted.

"What did you do today?" he asks, giving her a kiss and making his way to the bedroom.

"I know how to write my name!" she declares proudly.

"Clever girl," he grins. "Did your mother teach you?"

"Yes!"

"Did you say thank you?"

Seol becomes silent, realizing she didn't, and shrinks away from his stern gaze.

"You forgot?"

She bows her head in shame and starts fingering at the collar of his shirt.

He rummages through his bag until he finds what he's looking for. "Come, let's write a letter to your mother. I bought you new pencils, so you can use these. Don't break and lose them this time."

Her eyes widen, seeing the beautifully wrapped gift in his hand. At once, she reaches for it.

"First, what do you say?" he says, withholding it.

"Thank you!" she squeals excitedly, small palms spread out in front of her at the ready.

"Kiss."

She leans in at once and pecks his lips.

He deposits the gift into her waiting hands and watches fondly as she carefully begins untying the ribbon, a look of pure concentration on her young face.

"Merry Christmas, my princess."

* * *

As promised!

Next chapter will be a huuuuuge family reunion. It might freak out some of y'all, but it's not my fault they have such a big family! lol

FYI: The character's relationships are based on my original fic so they might not make sense if you haven't read it yet.

* * *

 _Preview for tomorrow's chapter:_

 _"Kids, let's eat!" Woohee calls before Hajin can stop her, opening the door to Seol's bedroom. The little ones file out eagerly, and Seol's first instinct is to call for her father._

 _"He's on the phone," Hajin says hastily before anyone else can answer. "Go sit with halabeoji for a while, ye?"_

 _Taejo's eyes crinkle in a smile as Seol saunters up to his lap, and he begins entertaining her with stories about his childhood. Boksoon tugs on his pants and lifts her arms, demanding to join as well. Taejo chuckles fondly at the pair of them. "Ah, even though I never had daughters of my own, I'm glad I at least have beautiful granddaughters."_


	3. Dinner on Christmas Eve

"We're here!" Deok and Eun yell happily to announce their presence. They burst into the dining room, laden with bags and packages, and wearing matching Christmas sweaters.

"Beef?" Seol asks excitedly, running up to them.

"No..." Eun says slowly, a sly look on his face. He crouches low and takes a pack of sweets out from inside his pocket. "I got this for you. Don't tell your mother."

"What's that?" Hajin asks suspiciously from across the room.

"Yah, how is it that you can hear me whispering all the way from there?" Eun demands, looking spooked.

"It's called maternal instinct, Eun-ah," his step-aunt, Sooyeon, chuckles as she lays a plate of sliced fruits on the table.

"Also, your face has G-U-I-L-T-Y written all over it," Hajin snaps, crossing the room in a few strides. She narrows her eyes at the pair of them, wondering what kind of punishment she should mete out.

Seol's got her arms wrapped around Eun's neck and they're both gazing up at her with similar looks of fright.

"I told him not to," Deok says in a deadpan voice, leaving the frightened pair to fend for themselves. She goes into the living room to drop their presents off under the tree and proceeds to help with the dinner preparations.

Hajin can't do it. The party hasn't even started yet and she's already scolding them. Instead she takes the bag of sweets and says, "Seol-ah, mom will keep this until you get better, okay?"

Eun nods with obvious relief and pats Seol's head. "That's right! So you better eat lots of fruits and get well soon. Okay, Seolie?"

Seol nods obediently and squeals when Eun lifts her up and waltzes her into the living room, away from Hajin's watchful eyes.

"So-yah, is your brother coming?" Taejo asks as So enters the room, buttoning his shirt cuff.

"Which one?" he asks.

"Jung."

"Ah, yes, I believe so," he nods, eyeing his father's face curiously. "At least he promised Seol he would."

Taejo nods, satisfied, and goes back to perusing his newspaper.

"Where are you going?" Hajin asks So in dismay, putting down the utensils in her hand and following him into the foyer.

He grimaces apologetically as he shrugs on his coat. "I left something important at the office. I'll be back in a few minutes. A few minutes!" he promises, drawing her in. "I'll get it and come back."

She exhales sharply and tuts. "Ten minutes."

"Twenty."

"Fifteen."

"Deal." He grins and kisses her lips. "If Seol asks, just…"

"I'll tell her you're on the phone," she says blandly. Seol knows not to interrupt adults while they're talking. "She's been looking forward to spending the entire evening with you, you know."

"I know," he says with a wistful smile, running a hand lightly over the side of her face. "I promise I won't be long. Don't start without me."

She sighs and wraps a scarf around his neck. "Ye, Pyeha."

He flashes her a grateful smile and gives her one last kiss before opening the door to find his older brother in the act of pressing the doorbell. They stare at each other in disbelief.

"Yah, are you psychic now too?" Yo asks, lowering his hand. "Where are you going? I know we're late, but we aren't that late, I think?"

"Nope!" So hurries down the steps, patting his nephew's head and nodding politely to his sister-in-law. "I just left something at the office. I'll see you all later!"

Hajin waves her in-laws inside, away from the cold. The moment the door shuts, Eun and Seol appear, and Seol's face lights up. "Oppa!" she greets her cousin, squirming in her uncle's arms to be put down. Hajin sighs with relief, knowing Seol was likely to spend the next hour or two too busy trailing after her cousin like a little puppy to notice her father's sudden disappearance.

"Are we that late?" Yo asks, shrugging off his coat.

"No," Hajin chuckles, helping her sister-in-law out of hers. "We haven't even started yet. Jung, Won and Baek Ah aren't here. And er… your mother."

He scoffs. "Is she even coming?"

"She didn't confirm or reject the invitation," Hajin replies with a shrug. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Jin-ah, are your parents really not coming?" her stepmother-in-law asks as they reenter the dining area. "It's such a shame. I just saw sister yesterday, but she says they have other plans for today."

Hajin nods apologetically. "They promised to have dinner with some relatives. They'll be coming over tomorrow, though."

"Ah, but we promised to spend tomorrow with Mu. He does apologize for not making it here today."

"It's alright," Hajin shakes her head with a smile. "They always spend Christmas Eve with unnie's family. I understand."

"Christmas celebrations everywhere," Taejo mumbles, flipping a page of his newspaper. "Maybe we should just rent an entire resort next year and tell everyone to come together to celebrate."

"My dear, we tried that last year," Sooyeon reminds, giving Hajin a wry smile. "It didn't work, remember? Other families have their own traditions."

Taejo grunts, looking deep in thought. "Then maybe we ought to change the date. Celebrate a day early or a day late. I'll discuss this with Baek Ah later."

They're in the middle of spreading out the tablecloth when there's a sudden gust of wind and Hajin heads out into the foyer to see who had come in. "Sorry for barging in. We would've knocked but the wind's picked up," Baek Ah apologizes, shutting the door behind them and shaking the snow off his hair.

"Of course!" Hajin exclaims, rushing to the window to peer outside. The snow outside is swirling rapidly in response to the strong wind and Hajin feels a pang of worry building in her chest, but she pushes it down and addresses her little niece. "Boksoon-ah, unnie is playing in her room with oppa. Do you want to go?"

"Go with your aunty," Woohee urges, handing her two-year-old over to Hajin.

When Hajin returns to the kitchen sometime later, it's to find that Won and Jung have arrived, with Chaeryung already hard at work in the kitchen, preparing the drinks. Hajin greets them pleasantly and checks her phone for any messages. She's starting to feel anxious.

"Where is So? The food is getting cold," Taejo asks, taking his seat at the head of the long table. "I thought he was only going to be away for a few minutes."

"So he said…" Hajin mumbles, sending another text, angry at him now for making her worry.

"Kids, let's eat!" Woohee calls before Hajin can stop her, opening the door to Seol's bedroom. The little ones file out eagerly, and Seol's first instinct is to call for her father.

"He's on the phone," Hajin says hastily before anyone else can answer. "Go sit with _halabeoji_ for a while, ye?"

Taejo's eyes crinkle in a smile as Seol saunters up onto his lap, and he begins entertaining her with stories about his childhood. Boksoon tugs on his pants and lifts her arms, demanding to join as well. Taejo chuckles fondly at the pair of them. "Ah, even though I never had daughters of my own, I'm glad I at least have beautiful granddaughters."

"Drinks are ready!" Chaeryung calls, carrying pitchers in from the kitchen. "Shall we eat? Oh! Where's S-?"

"Shh!" Sooyeon and Hajin hush in a panic.

Chaeryung freezes in surprise, then she sees Seol's wide eyes and changes tact. "Oh! There you are, Seolie!" she says, forcing out a laugh. "I haven't seen you yet. I have a gift for you! You too, Boksoon and Chunwon!"

"Gift?" Seol asks excitedly, suspicious expression clearing at once.

"That little girl is too perceptive for her own good," Yo mumbles, amused.

Hajin checks her phone again and sighs. "It must run in the family."

Yo snorts. "Yah, what's that supposed to mean?"

Before Hajin can answer, the door opens and as she and Yo enter the foyer, her chest expands with relief, seeing So come in. She rushes to hug him, then remembers her anger and hisses, "Fifteen minutes?!"

"I was on my way back," he explains hurriedly. "But mother called."

"Yo-yah…"

For the first time, Hajin notices the woman he's brought with him. She stares at her mother-in-law in shock; she hadn't really expected her to come. For years, they'd invited her… but this is the first time she's actually shown up.

Yo looks as shocked as Hajin, but he covers it up with a stiff bow. " _Eomeoni_."

Yoo Myeongsun seems at a loss for words. She's clutching her handbag nervously, eyeing her surroundings. Hesitantly, she nods her head to Hajin. "Hajin-shi. Thank you for inviting me and… I'm sorry for being late."

Hajin snaps out of it and bows formally. "Not at all… _eomeoni_. Here, let me help you with that…"

As they help her out of her coat and scarf, Hajin lifts her eyebrows at So, who shrugs. "You invited her," he murmurs so that only she can hear, kissing her temple.

"Ah, everyone's in here…" Hajin says awkwardly, ushering her mother-in-law inside.

The moment they see her, everyone freezes and looks on with bated breath. They all knew she had been invited, but like Hajin, they hadn't expected her to actually come. She hasn't bothered to join family events in years.

Seol is the first to speak up. " _Halmeoni?_ " she asks curiously. She's never seen her grandmother outside of her home before.

"Good evening, everyone," Myeongsun greets nervously, a soft blush creeping into her cheeks as she looks around at her estranged family. She sees her ex-husband with his new wife and nods awkwardly in their direction. "I'm sorry for being late. There's a… snowstorm outside."

"There is," So confirms, wondering what they can do to make everyone start breathing again.

"Appa?" Seol asks, making her way towards them, eyebrows furrowing in suspicion as she sees the bit of snow left on his hair.

"Seolie!" he says as Hajin hastily swipes it off him. "Yah! Couldn't you be a little more gentle?" he protests with a grimace.

She smiles at him through her glare. "That's for making me worry," she murmurs through her teeth, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"You went out without me?" Seol asks, blinking mournfully up at him.

He picks her up and brings her to a different room, just as Hajin offers his mother a seat and instructs Baek Ah to play some music. "Only for a little while," he assures Seol.

"Umma said you were on the phone!" she glares accusingly at him.

"I had to get _halmeoni_ ," he explains. "It's snowing outside and I didn't want you to catch a cold. You were sick last week."

When she continues to frown, he kisses her – on her nose, her cheeks, her chin – until she scrunches up her face and holds up her hands in self-defense.

"I'm sorry, princess, I was only going to be out for a short while," he says, taking both her tiny hands in his free one. "Next time I go out, I'll make sure to ask for your permission, hm?"

She pouts at him. "When are you going out?"

"Not tonight," he assures her firmly. "Tonight, I'll be here with you and mom. Hey, it's Christmas Eve. Don't be angry…"

She blows air through her pursed lips, making him chuckle, but then she hitches a bright smile back onto her face and demands to be fed.

"I'm hungry, too. Let's go eat."

Dinner starts out as an awkward affair, but with Sooyeon's kind efforts to make Myeongsun feel welcome, the tension gradually eases and people start talking again. Halfway through dinner, Woohee noticed Deok avoiding the cakes and drinks offered to her like the plague and casually remarked how she used to avoid certain food herself when she first got pregnant with Boksoon, whereby everyone immediately gasped and began bombarding Eun and Deok with questions.

"Hyung! How can you not tell even me?" Jung had demanded.

"Yah! You're in the military! You think contacting you is easy?" Eun snapped angrily. "And she's not pregnant! She would have told me otherwise. Right…?"

He and Deok had exchanged looks then, and when Deok failed to give him a straight answer, he looked about ready to faint.

It's a quarter past ten and only Grandma Yoo is left, spending a few quiet moments with Seol in the latter's bedroom, when So takes Hajin out onto the balcony to give her his gift.

"Is this what you went back to the office for?" she asks curiously, taking the wrapped parcel from him.

He nods, wrapping his arms around her from behind to keep her warm. "My secretary told me it arrived just this morning. I had to go get it."

"It feels like a book," she mumbles, tearing it open. What greets her is an image of her in a green botanical garden, smiling brightly as she holds up a peony flower, and on the cover are the words _"Beautiful Goryeo"_ embossed in gold with her name underneath.

She gapes up at him in shock. "You had it published?"

He smiles at the astounded look on her face. "Of course. It's about time, don't you think? You've been writing those notes for years."

"But… how did you… I kept them!" she stammers, perplexed. "They've been locked away somewhere for the past 2 months."

"Ah, yes. Fortunately, Seolie knew where to look."

"Why the little traitor. I was still editing it though."

He smirks. "No, you weren't, or you wouldn't have kept it away for so long."

She blushes. "I can't keep anything a secret from you, can I?"

"No." He turns her around and pulls her closer to him. "We did promise not to keep secrets from each other."

"I was going to have it published secretly, then show it to you," she pouts.

He grunts and runs his lips lightly over hers. "Merry Christmas, my darling Soo."

She smiles. "Merry Christmas, Pyeha. Thank you for the gift. I love it."

" _Halmeoni_ , you must cover your eyes, too."

All three adults jump in surprise.

"I… that is…" grandma Yoo stammers, looking flustered as she holds tightly onto Seol's hand. "I just came over to say goodbye."

"Of course!" Hajin exclaims, recovering from her surprise. She extricates herself from So and ushers them back into the room. She realizes how cold it must have been outside, but strangely enough, she hadn't felt it. All she felt was the warmth of his lips… and the heat from his body. She blushes and shakes her head to clear it of her thoughts as she looks at her mother-in-law. "Er… goodbye, then. Thank you so much for coming."

"No, I…" she falters, looking awkward. "Thank you… for inviting me. I had a good time."

"You should come again, _eomeoni_ ," So offers from behind Hajin, whose heart immediately starts thumping recklessly around in her chest. "I'm sure Seol would love to hear more of your stories."

She glances down at Seol, who yawns. "Ah, you must be tired, Seol-ah. I'm sorry for keeping you up. It must be way past your bedtime," she says, letting go of the small hand and watching as Hajin lifts her up.

"She's asleep already," So remarks, fascinated, as he tidies the long hair away from her sleeping face.

"Really?" Hajin whispers, trying to peer over her shoulder.

Myeongsun watches the three of them with regret. She had let too many precious years go by. She hadn't even been around enough to see her own sons grow into the fine men they've become. For years, she had been obsessed, blinded by ambition and power. She had forced them all away… her husband, her children, her friends, her in-laws… she was lonely, and she had no one to blame but herself.

Seeing the family together this evening had only brought that loneliness into sharper focus. She saw how easily they all interacted, how well they got along and how bright their smiles were… how carefree their laughter. She saw how her older sons treated her ex-husband's new wife like she was an old friend, a confidante. Her chest hurt every time her grandson went to Sooyeon… because to her, he paid no heed, even though she was his grandmother of flesh and blood.

She had been wrong. Wealth and power aren't important when she has no one to share them with. She had been so wrong in pushing them all away.

" _Eomeoni_?" Hajin asks, snapping the older woman out of her thoughts.

"Ah, it's nothing," she says hastily, turning away to wipe the tears that clung to her lashes. "I'll… I'll call, shall I?"

Hajin nods, smiling encouragingly at her.

"Shall I take you home?" So offers.

"No, it's alright, my driver's waiting for me…" she says hastily, not wanting to inconvenience them any further. "Good night. Merry Christmas." She turns quickly and heads for the door, hands shaking as she fumbles with her coat and scarf.

"Here, let me help," Hajin offers, appearing beside her. Myeongsun looks at her daughter-in-law's bright eyes and kind smile. She can't believe that just years before, she had tried her best to ruin this woman, to force her away from her son. But despite looking so frail, Hajin had a kind of strength to her that she had underestimated. She felt she didn't deserve this young woman's kindness, and yet she bestowed it on her so willingly.

"There we go!" Hajin says, satisfied, taking her handbag and giving it to her. "I'm glad you could make it this year."

Queen Yoo doesn't know what made her do it. She acted purely on impulse, and the moment she lets go, Hajin's expressive eyes are wide with surprise. She swallows hard. "I'm sorry for everything I did before."

Flustered, Hajin lets out a little laugh and shakes her head. "That's alright. It's water under the bridge. It's all in the past now."

"Seol is a beautiful child," she presses on.

The compliment makes Hajin's smile all the brighter. "Yes, she is."

"I'm glad he chose you."

For a long time, they both stare at each other: Hajin with evident surprise, Queen Yoo with determination. And then Hajin smiles shyly and gives a little bow. "Go home safely, _eomeoni_."

Myeongsun finds her face twitching, feeling almost like she was going to smile. She hasn't smiled genuinely in years.

Hajin locks the doors and windows before making her way over to Seol's bedroom to find her already tucked warmly underneath her blankets. She wraps her arms around So, reveling in his warmth.

"Where were we?" he murmurs, running his fingers through her hair, lightly caressing her scalp.

She closes her eyes to enjoy the sensation. "No secrets."

* * *

Preview of the next chapter:

"I didn't know what to give you," she mumbles, giving him her most doleful look. "Can't you just tell me what you want?"

He looks at her with a mischievous smile. "You know what I want."


	4. Merry Christmas

"Merry Christmas," he says, handing her a glass of wine before settling himself down on the sofa beside her.

She tucks her feet under her legs and snuggles contentedly into his shoulder. "I bought her the exact same pencils," she says as they both watch Seol scribbling away on the floor.

"I told you we should have just agreed on one instead of getting her separate gifts," he says.

She shrugs. "It's not like she can't use them. Besides, I got her a coloring book, too. So my gift's better."

He scoffs. "I got her a drawing book. It's better for her imagination, therefore, my gift is better."

She scowls but doesn't want to argue, so she pouts up at him instead. "I didn't know what to give you," she mumbles, giving him her most doleful look. "Can't you just tell me what you want?"

He looks at her with a mischievous smile. "You know what I want."

She narrows her eyes at him. "Those things take time. I'm afraid I won't be able to make one in time for tomorrow. Maybe next year."

"Oh?" he says, eyebrows raised in question. "No objections this time?"

She looks at Seol again - small, beautiful and perfect in every way. "She's so big now," she sighs and smiles up at him. "Another one won't hurt. Or at least, it won't hurt you," she grumbles sourly, taking a swig from her glass.

He deposits both their glasses on the coffee table and leans over her until she's lying supine on the sofa beneath him. She blushes, feeling a little lightheaded from the wine and more than a little flushed.

"You know I don't want to force you," he says. "You've already given me one perfect baby. Two, if you count a thousand years ago. Don't pressure yourself on my account."

"How can I not?" she sighs dramatically, fixing his fringe. "I love you too much."

"Ah, but I love you too," he says. "I don't want to see you suffer unwillingly."

"I won't be doing it unwillingly," she mumbles. "I really don't mind having another baby."

"You're not just saying that?"

She assumes a pained expression. "Pyeha, I thought you knew me better than this. Am I really the type of woman to just give in to other peoples' wishes?"

He smiles. "No."

"That's right," she murmurs, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. She had been expecting a short, pleasant kiss and certainly did not expect the deep, passionate kiss she got instead. Breathless, she breaks away and says, "Seol."

In unison, they turn their heads to see the little one still focused on her new writing implements.

"Shall we tuck her in?" he murmurs.

"She'll miss the fireworks display."

"We can wake her up in time for it."

They exchange looks, considering their options.

Hajin glances around in search of the clock. "It's 8:00," she declares. "It's about her bedtime anyway."

"And she'll have to take a nap if she wants to be up by midnight," he points out matter-of-factly.

"Umma..."

Seol's frightened, tremulous voice makes them both turn to her in alarm.

"What is it?" Hajin asks, propping herself up onto her elbow.

The floor around Seol is covered in milk, which has seeped into her coloring book, drawing book, dress, and the living room rug. Her brand new pencils are littered across the floor, equally wet, and the moment she hears her mother's gasp of horror, she flinches and drops the empty glass in her hands, shattering it into a million pieces on the floor.

Frightened by the loud sound, Seol begins to cry.

"Don't move!" Hajin commands in panic as she and So clamber out of the sofa towards her.

So plucks her off the floor and inspects her for possible damage. "Are you hurt?" he asks, checking her small hands for possible cuts, but Seol's too distressed to reply.

"Is she hurt?" Hajin demands, turning away from the wreckage.

"No, she's fine," he replies with a sigh, letting Seol cry on his shoulder.

"That's why you should be more careful, Seol-ah!" Hajin says with a relieved sigh. "No more glasses next time!" She's about to go on a tirade about what could have happened when she sees Seol's face... she has on the same terrified expression as a few seconds ago - before she dropped and broke her glass.

Before she knows it, Hajin's got tears in her eyes, too, and she feels sick with remorse.

"Why are you-?" So asks in alarm, seeing her expression.

"It was my fault, wasn't it?" Hajin murmurs. "She's scared of me."

"Nonsense," he says, rubbing Seol's back. "She was frightened by the loud sound."

Hajin shakes her head. "She was scared even before that! She was afraid I was going to scold her. And on Christmas, too." She closes the distance between them and coos to her gently, "Baby, I'm sorry... mom's sorry..."

Seol turns her head around to look at her with tear-filled eyes.

"It's okay," Hajin continues, gently wiping away her tears. "It's okay. Mom's not angry..."

So watches them for a moment before lifting Seol off of him and handing her over. The moment Hajin wraps her arms around Seol's small body, she begins to cry. "I've been scolding her all day! All week!" she wails. "Oh, I'm a bad mother, aren't I?"

"You are not," So assures her firmly but gently. "These things happen."

That doesn't make her feel much better, but showering her baby with a thousand kisses does. Seol had stopped crying by now, but she still hiccuped and coughed occasionally.

"I'm not even on my period and I'm already so cranky," Hajin mumbles shamefacedly, arranging Soel's hair away from her face. "Do you want another glass of milk?"

Seol shakes her head.

"Do you want cookies?"

Again, she shakes her head.

"Do you want to sleep?"

This time, she nods.

"Okay," Hajin whispers. "It's been a long day. Let's get you cleaned up first." She looks at So, but he'd already anticipated her need.

"You go ahead, I'll deal with this," he assures her.

She nods gratefully and leaves for the bathroom, where they take their time showering. Normally, their evening shower would last ten minutes at most but this time, Hajin decides to play with her to try and get her to laugh. She succeeds in doing so by using the soapy water to blow a stream of bubbles into the air.

"Again! Again!" Seol cries happily for the hundredth time, trying to grab as many bubbles as she can.

"Kiss first," Hajin demands, puckering her lips playfully at her.

Seol chuckles deviously and grabs a handful of bubbles to splatter all over her mother's face.

"Yah!" Hajin laughs, spitting soap out of her mouth. "What was that for?"

Seol's shriek of laughter is infectious. "Funny! Funny mommy!"

"You naughty little girl," Hajin growls playfully, pulling Seol in for another soapy kiss. "We should finish up. Your daddy's waiting."

"Five minutes?"

"Two."

"Four."

"Three."

"Deal!" Seol says carefully, savoring the word in her mouth.

Hajin smiles and gets up to prepare the towel and her clothes. She gives Seol the promised three minutes before telling her to come out and dry herself. Seol dutifully does as she's told, yawning as she gets dressed. Once done, Hajin carries her to her bedroom to find So asleep on the bed.

The moment Seol sees him, she demands to be let down and immediately clambers onto the bed, plopping herself happily onto his chest.

"Oof!" he grunts, grabbing hold of her arms. He realizes he had fallen asleep waiting for them and grumbles, "You two took long enough."

"We got a little carried away," Hajin apologizes sheepishly.

"Clearly," he mumbles. "I heard you screaming all the way from here."

"I'm covered in soap, so I'll go wash up a bit," she says. "Can you put her to sleep?"

He stifles a yawn and looks down at the mess of hair on his chest. If it weren't for the humming and her fingers scratching the blanket, he would've thought she was already asleep. "Alright, princess," he says, lifting her off him and ordering her to get under her bed sheets.

With a smile, Hajin leaves the room and goes to wash up. As she's rummaging through the bathroom cabinets for her nightly routines, her eyes land on a pack of unopened tampons. She frowns, trying to remember when she bought them... not to mention the last time she'd actually used one.

When she can't remember the answer to either, she stops breathing, feeling faint. Unconsciously, her hand flies to her abdomen.

No... she can't be. They'd been careful...

 _"I'm not even on my period and I'm already so cranky..."_

She lifts up her shirt and glances at her reflection in the mirror, turning sideways to try and see if she had gained weight at all, but she sees no traces of a bump. She exhales slowly, thinking... when she considers all the precautions they'd taken, she thinks there's no way she can be pregnant... and yet, the fact remains that she hadn't bled in weeks, and her periods had always come at regular intervals in the past. Not to mention she's been feeling unnaturally irritable lately and has started to develop a taste for ketchup, mustard and dumplings, something which So and Seol simply cannot wrap their minds around.

She runs a thumb over her tummy and smiles. Another precious piece of So growing inside her.

When she returns to Seol's room some time later, it's to find them both already sound asleep - So on his back the way he's used to, and Seol curled up against his side. She smiles fondly as she watches them, feeling grateful for the chance to be with them in this lifetime; to actually be able to witness all the milestones in her daughter's life - to hear again that first ever cry, her first ever laugh, her first word... to see her first smile, her first step, her first breath of life... to be able to comfort her when she falls, to teach her the things she knows.

She joins them, laying carefully down on Seol's other side and kissing her head before reaching over her to take his hand.

It's been well over 5 years since they met again... 5 years since they both regained their memories... 5 years of healing and acceptance and love. There had been so many what-ifs in their past... too many regrets over events that were beyond any of their control. She doesn't know what kind of future lies ahead, but she's willing to face all those uncertainties; she knows she can do anything, be anything for as long as he's with her.

Her best friend. Her love. Her heart.

"I guess I do have a gift for you after all," she whispers, closing her eyes and drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

 _Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays everyone! Have a good one ^-^_  
 _Now that this is over, I'll be updating the original fic more. Thanks so much for the positive responses to both stories! They warm my heart tee hee |▽/)ゝ_


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